The present invention relates to gutter brooms of the type used in pavement sweeping machines and, more particularly, to gutter brooms that minimizes the amount of dust or debris that is caused to become airborne as a result of the operation of the broom.
Pavement sweepers of the type used to sweep municipal streets typically include rotatable circular brooms that are designed to engage the pavement at the intersection of the pavement and the curbstone, i.e., the gutter. The sweepers typically include a gutter broom mounted on each side and rotatably controlled to move the accumulated dust/debris into the path of a primary vacuum intake hood that moves the debris into a containment bin. Since the rotating and forwardly moving gutter brooms are the first portion of the pavement sweeper to come into contact with the accumulated dust and debris, the rotating gutter brooms typically stir-up substantial amounts of dust and cause that dust to become airborne. In general, dust that is made airborne by the gutter broom(s) is not picked-up by the pavement sweeper and escapes the sweeping operation. Additionally, the airborne dust tends to eventually settle over a large area, depending, of course, on the temperature, humidity, and prevailing wind conditions.
Historically, pressurized water is sprayed onto the dust and debris accumulated in the gutter in an effort to suppress the quantity of dust that becomes airborne. Although atomized water sprays are generally effective in reducing the amount of airborne dust, the water sprays do not eliminate or reduce the airborne dust to minimal levels. In recent years, governmental regulations have been proposed that set upper limits on the amount of airborne dust that is associated with the process of sweeping pavement using mechanized sweepers. These standards necessitate that the amount of dust and debris that is made airborne and not captured by the sweeping process be minimized.